Crown on Torah

A Torah crown (Heb. Keter Torah), usually made of silver, sometimes encrusted with jewels, is put on two wooden rollers on which the parchment scroll containing the text of the Torah is wound. It is used during major religious holidays.A three-level crown decorated with Rococo ornaments, animal figurines, topped with the image of an eagle or the Tree of Life was very common was a type very common in Poland from the 18th century onwards.

The presented object, in the shape of an open crown, is decorated with the following motifs: a menorah (seven-branched candlestick), showbread tables, tablets of the Ten Commandments, figures of a bull (Shor Habor) and sacrificial animals approaching the altar, figures of lions, birds and two-headed eagles symbolising the divine power and presence. Iconographic motifs of this crown refer to the messianic tradition, so does the crown itself: according to tradition, the righteous with crowns on their heads will sit at the messianic feast.

Interestingly, the word 'keter' appears only once in the Bible, in the Book of Esther (2:17). In the Jewish tradition, the crown refers to the highest majesty, and God himself is to wear the Keter Malchut (the Kingdom's Crown) on the Last Day.One of the most famous quotes from the Talmud, by Shimon bar Yochai, refers to the topic of the most important crown: the crown of good name that everybody can deserve: 'There are three crowns – the crown of the Law, the crown of the priesthood, and the crown of kingship; but the crown of a good name excels them all' (Pirḳe Avot 4:17).Torah shield donated to the Museum thanks to The North American Council for the Legacy of Polish Jews.

Natalia Różańska